Oakland Men's Soccer Set for Crucial Matchups Against UIC and MSU

ROCHESTER, Mich. - The Golden Grizzlies are still on the hunt for win number one of the season, and they have a pair of high-quality home matchups against UIC on Friday and Michigan State.

FRIDAY, SEPT. 6 vs UIC at 7 PM

The Golden Grizzlies and the Flames prepare to face off, rekindling a matchup that ended in a 2-2 draw last season, where Luke Benford scored one of the teams' two goals in the game.

Oakland holds a 2-6-3 record against their former Horizon League opponent UIC, with their last win coming in 2021 at home where the Golden Grizzlies scored a 3-1 victory.

UIC has lost back-to-back games against top 25 teams in Wisconsin and Northwestern coming into Friday's matchup, holding a 1-3 record thus far. The Flames faced reigning Horizon League champs Green Bay on Aug. 25, beating the Phoenix 4-2.

UIC will have a statistical offensive advantage, averaging two goals per game to Oakland's one, even though the teams average an identical 11 shots per game. The Golden Grizzlies will have the upper hand on defense, giving up two goals per game to UIC's three.

MONDAY, SEPT. 9 vs MSU at 7 PM

After starting the season ranked in the top 25 in the nation, the Spartans have fallen out of the rankings with a 1-2-1 start to the season.

MSU most recently suffered a 1-2 loss to #5 Oregon State on Sept. 2, joining a loss to Bowling Green on Aug. 26 as they've lost two of their last three matches. The Spartans rank last in the Big Ten in goals and assists.

The strengths of MSU are somewhat similar to those of Oakland as both teams put out a high volume of shots and look to fire away on goal.

While the all-time head-to-head numbers are relatively even, with Oakland holding a 10-11-1 record in games against the Spartans, Oakland is a heavy favorite at home, holding an 8-2 record at the OU Soccer Field.

The two teams played to a 2-2 tie last season behind a big 72nd minute goal from Andrew Darakdjian.

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Players Mentioned

#23 Andrew Darakdjian: F; 5' 11"; Freshman

#29 Luke Benford: F; 5' 11"; Junior

Players Mentioned

#23 Andrew Darakdjian
: 5' 11"; Freshman
: F

#29 Luke Benford
: 5' 11"; Junior
: F

Players Mentioned

#23 Andrew Darakdjian

#29 Luke Benford

Players Mentioned

#23 Andrew Darakdjian

#29 Luke Benford